Not in Vain
by ChoCedric
Summary: Alternate ending to GoF. What if, on the day of the Third Task, Harry sacrifices himself to save Cedric's life? With truly a heart of gold, and boundless bravery, he will make his mark on the wizarding world forever.


Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/n: I got this idea from a similar fanfic I read online once, although some things about this are not at all the same. This is an alternate ending to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It starts when Harry and Cedric are about to take the Triwizard Cup at the same time. I changed a lot of the dialog at this scene, I felt like being original and not copying that dialog straight from the book. Let me know what you think of this! And by the way, for this story's sake, the prophecy at the end of OotP does not exist.

Not in Vain

By: ChoCedric

Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory had just finished battling an awful acromanchula in the maze created for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry's leg had been severely injured from the battle, but Cedric was unscathed. The cup was standing feet from him, and he wanted more than ever to reach for it and claim victory.

But the seventeen-year-old Hufflepuff knew what he had to do. He wanted Harry to have it; he deserved it. Over the course of the year, the two champions had helped each other through the tasks. Cedric had originally thought all the hype about Harry was extremely annoying and that the Gryffindor had everything handed to him on a silver platter. He'd somehow managed to weasel his way into the tournament. But after getting to know him better and competing with him now for the third time, Cedric knew he was very wrong. Harry had been nothing but honest and sincere, and his words and actions showed that he was just as perplexed about how he got into this competition as everybody else. There were no hard feelings between them at all now; they considered each other friendly rivals.

"Hey, Cedric, what're you waiting for?" Harry asked him. "A Hogwarts victory is literally in your hands! Take the cup. You were the only one who was supposed to be in this tournament anyway. You deserve it. I'm telling you, I can't think of a better person to represent us."

Cedric smiled at his comrade. "Thanks, Harry," he said. "That's very loyal of you. But truth be told, I don't want it. I want you to have it. Your strength and courage through this whole ordeal has helped me to understand who you really are. You're not just some celebrity who wants attention. You're a real person, with thoughts and feelings just like the rest of us. Go on, take the cup. I'll help you over there, since your leg is bad."

"No," persisted Harry. "You take the cup. I thank you for your kind words, but I still disagree with you saying I deserve it more than you. This tournament is not meant for young, inexperienced students like myself. Go on, just take the bloody cup! I don't want to be standing here all evening!"

"Quit being so stubborn, Potter!" Cedric snapped, desperately wanting the younger boy to see his point. "I'm not touching it."

"And you think YOU'RE not stubborn, Diggory?" Harry shot back.

"Just shut up and take it!" Cedric scowled. He had just about had enough of this.

"Fine!" Harry surrendered. "But I'm not doing it without you. Let's just take the damn thing together. Or would you rather stand here and argue about this all bloody night?"

"Why do you always have to play the hero?" Cedric sighed. "You're too damn noble for your own good! One of these days your heroics might land you in trouble!"

"Well, what do you expect, Diggory? I'm a Gryffindor!"

"Yes, Potter. Yes. Let's just take the damn cup, okay? Then this whole tournament will be over and we can go back to our ordinary lives." Cedric helped Harry limp towards the gleaming Triwizard Cup. "Let's take it on three," Cedric said, standing next to the fourteen-year-old. "One ... two ... THREE!"

Both grabbing a handle, they waited in anticipation for the reaction of the crowd. But none came. Instead, both boys discovered that there was something terribly wrong. The cup was a Portkey! They were whizzing along, grabbing onto each other for dear life.

When they finally arrived at who-knows-where, they both fell to the ground. They looked at each other in puzzlement.

"What's this supposed to be?" said Cedric, looking around. "Why the hell are we in a graveyard? Is this supposed to be part of what we're doing? Nobody said anything about any Portkey or graveyard. Did you know anything about this, Harry?"

"I sure didn't. I'm about as clueless as you," Harry replied. The seventeen-year-old helped the boy who had started to be thought of as a friend to stand. "Let's look around," he suggested.

"I think we should have our wands out, just in case," Harry warned. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all. I should've listened to you, shouldn't I? You were right! I have a funny feeling it was only I who was meant to come here. Not you. I think this was planned, but the plan isn't anything good. I don't expect Dumbledore or any of the others expected this. Whoever's lurking around is only after me. And I got you involved. If anything happens to you, it's all my fault. I'm so stupid!" he hissed angrily.

"Harry, calm down. It's not your fault. Neither of us knew the cup was a Portkey. And your intent was only kindness when you pleaded for me to take the cup with you. So don't you dare blame yourself, Potter. Or I'll strangle you!" Cedric truly felt like he was bickering with a younger brother.

"I can't help it, Diggory!" Harry cried, his voice shaking. "Everything always happens to me. You would've been safe back at Hogwarts and ... oh, my. ..." He stopped rambling, for he had just heard a noise.

Cedric heard it too. "Someone's coming," he announced. "Let's be quiet. Be on the alert."

"You, too."

A short, balding man carrying something that looked close to a baby in his arms was making his way through the graves towards them. As he came closer, he looked at the two Hogwarts students standing together. "M-m-m-m-master, look at this," the man said, and it looked as if he was addressing the baby. "Why are there two of them? Wasn't there only supposed to be one?"

A high-pitched, icy voice answered him. It chilled both contestants to the bone. Harry knew at once who this was, who this was supposed to be. He turned to Cedric and gave him a look filled with so much horror, sadness, and guilt that Cedric wanted to just embrace him. Harry couldn't believe he had gotten this innocent boy involved in a drama that should only be between him and these people, if you could even call them that.

"What's your name, spare?" the shrill, cold voice demanded of Cedric. "Why are you here, too?"

"Cedric," the older boy said in a strong, brave voice. "Cedric Diggory. Harry and I both won the competition. We both took the Triwizard Cup together."

"Oh, how nice," sneered the voice sarcastically. "Well, I only need young Harry here. Any suggestions, Wormtail?"

"W-w-well, Master," sputtered Wormtail, "He's worth n-n-nothing, isn't he? I know what I'd personally like to do with him, but the choice is ultimately yours, my L-Lord."

"Let's dispose of him, then. Is that what you were thinking, Wormtail?"

"Yes," said Wormtail, raising his wand.

"NO!" bellowed Harry, he and Cedric raising their wands to point spells at Wormtail, but it was too late. "Avada Kedavra!" the man screamed. His and Voldemort's laughter echoed through the eerie graveyard.

Cedric closed his eyes as he heard the sound of rushing death coming towards him. They say your life flashes before your eyes just before it ends, and that's exactly what happened to him. He saw himself in his early childhood. Getting his Hogwarts letter. Boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Hearing about Harry Potter. Thinking the boy was an attention-seeking brat. Playing on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Getting chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Being angry with Harry for being allowed to compete. Falling in love with the beautiful Cho Chang. Holding hands and kissing her on the astronomy tower, looking out at the stars. Seeing Harry in a new light. Thinking of Harry like a brother. The Third Task. Harry saving him from Viktor's Cruciatus Curse. The argument about the cup. Arriving here. Wormtail. And then ...

He suddenly felt himself being roughly pushed back. He landed in a half-kneeling, half-sitting position on the ground. Then something fell in front of him. The light faded.

Cedric was confused. He didn't feel like he was dead. He didn't feel different at all, as a matter of fact. His heart was pounding wildly. If you were dead, your heart didn't beat.

The ground was hard, the same texture as it had been ten seconds before. He suddenly heard Wormtail and Voldemort let out surprised gasps. He looked in front of him and ...

He then saw the most horrible sight he'd ever seen in his life. His insides turned cold and he felt as though his heart had fallen out of his chest. "You idiot," he whispered, his voice shaky. "Merlin, you idiot! That curse was meant for me, not you!"

For lying on the ground, with eyes closed and hands at his sides, lay Harry.

"Harry, wake up! Please, wake up! This isn't funny! Don't play games like this! Don't do this to me!" He pinched himself to see if this was all some horrible nightmare, and found to his growing horror that he was very much alive. He bent over the small, unmoving figure of his friend and shook him. "Harry, please! Do something! Say something! Wake the hell up, Potter!" He shook him harder. "POTTER!" he roared into the boy's ear. "POTTER! POTTER! POTTER!" He was now screaming himself hoarse. He then lifted the boy into his arms and shook him violently. When there was still no response from Harry, he collapsed to the ground, falling on top of his comrade's lifeless form. No pulse, no breath. Harry was dead. He'd sacrificed himself for the older boy. He'd jumped in front of him, managing to push him out of the way, therefore taking the Killing Curse, the curse that was meant for Cedric.

Everything was dark. So, so unbelievably dark. Cedric didn't know how long he lay sprawled on the ground on top of Harry's body, numb and in total shock. He finally felt himself being pulled forcefully to his feet. Through the haze of his muddled mind, he could just make out Wormtail. The man made him lie down on a headstone, but Cedric wasn't even willing to struggle and fight right now. But even if he would have, he knew it was no use. He lay on top of a headstone that said TOM RIDDLE on it.

"Well, now!" hissed the cold voice. "My, my! Should've known that pathetic Gryffindor would be just like his Mudblood mother. Well I never! Sacrificing himself for a waste of space like you, Cedric Diggory is it? Well, Mr. Diggory, I suppose you'll have to do." He seemed to think for a minute. Then he continued, "Actually, you brightened up my day, for you will now find out that your little friend's foolish sacrifice will all be in vain." He laughed uproariously, the evil sound causing the air to feel freezing cold even though it was a summer's night.

"D-d-don't you ... don't you DARE talk about my friend like ... like ..." Cedric screamed, his throat hurting like hell. "SILENCIO!" Wormtail roared. Cedric continued to scream but no sound came from his mouth. Wormtail then proceeded to tie him to the headstone, Voldemort's cruel laughter ringing out into the night the entire time. "Ah, a backup plan, I simply adore my backup plans," the Dark Lord purred. "Your blood will be just as good as Harry's now. I'll have the magic of that idiotic sacrifice deep inside me as well, so I will be able to hurt you. Usually this kind of old magic says that if someone sacrifices their life for you, nobody will be able to hurt you magically. But no, my boy, Potter did a stupid, stupid thing. I made a mistake the first time something like this was done, therefore causing me thirteen years of torture. But alas, I will not make the same mistake again. I really do despise Gryffindors. But one good thing he did was introduce us to each other. It's very pleasant talking with you, young fellow."

Cedric lay there, shell-shocked, as a horrific process took place. The thing that was supposed to be Voldemort was lowered into a cauldron. A bone from his father, Tom Riddle, was added to it, then one of Wormtail's hands that was cut off. At this, Cedric puked all over the place. Wormtail laughed. "Lost your supper, have you Mr. Diggory?" he taunted. "Shame, shame. I remember that Hogwarts food being quite good."

Then, against Cedric's will, blood was drawn from his arm and added to the cauldron. Finally the disgusting concoction was ready and now a fully-grown Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron. "Wormtail, robe me! NOW!" he bellowed. "I have returned! Greater and stronger than ever before! Ah, let's call the cowards, shall we? Let's explain to them what happened with young Mr. Diggory and our unexpected change of plans!"

Within minutes, hooded figures with masks all Apparated to the graveyard. They exchanged looks of awe as they came upon the lifeless body of Harry Potter, then they looked at Cedric tied to the headstone. After bowing and kissing the robes of Voldemort, they all stood in a circle and waited for their Lord to speak.

Voldemort first explained about his family history; he spent a while on this subject. He then addressed each Death Eater in turn, snarling at them for their failures while he had been without his powers. Finally the topic became that of Harry and Cedric.

"Well, thanks to young Mr. Diggory here, I have returned," announced Voldemort, smiling triumphantly. "Young Mr. Potter saw Wormtail here cast the Killing Curse on Diggory. Foolish boy. Jumped in front of Avada Kedavra. Took the curse for this useless brat. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lives No More!" He and the Death Eaters laughed and Cedric felt a rush of hatred for these people go through him. "But as I told Cedric here, he will not prevail against me. Mr. Potter's sacrifice will be in vain. He's just like his Mudblood mother. Screaming "NO!" as Wormtail said the words. Oh I remember how she screamed as well. "NOT HARRY! PLEASE NOT HARRY! NOT HARRY! PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING, TAKE ME, KILL ME INSTEAD!" he mimicked her in a mocking, terrible, high-pitched voice. Rage filled Cedric like he'd never known it before. He tried to get up, but he was still restrained.

"Ah, touched a nerve, eh?" drawled one of the Death Eaters. Cedric recognized the voice. Lucius Malfoy. "Harry was your friend, wasn't he? Worked together in the Triwizard Tournament, didn't you?"

"You are correct, Lucius, they tied for the win, and now I tied Mr. Diggory here for the win, my slippery friend," Voldemort replied, grinning at Cedric's bound form. He then explained in its entirety the plan of how he'd lured Harry here so he could receive the blood to return to full power. Cedric listened, growing angrier by the second. A Death Eater had been stationed at Hogwarts. Who the hell was it? Voldemort gave no names. This Death Eater had made sure Harry's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire by tricking it to believe he was from a different school. This person had also given Harry help and clues so that he would definitely win the tournament. Of course, the one thing nobody was prepared for was Cedric coming along for the ride.

"Now, Mr. Diggory," said Voldemort smugly, "I am going to show you what the great Lord Voldemort can do, and I'll show you proof that you have no protection against me. CRUCIO!"

Just like when Viktor had done it, immense pain ripped through Cedric's body. He screamed long and loud, for the silencing charm had now been lifted. Even though the pain was excruciating, he hoped it would keep coming. He deserved it anyway, didn't he? His life was worth nothing. NOTHING compared to Harry's! It should've been Cedric that died! Harry was so young; he had his whole life ahead of him! Cedric had lived every day to its fullest and would've accepted his fate! Of course he'd've missed everyone and been extremely sorry for their sadness, but he just wished that boy hadn't taken a curse that was specifically meant for him, the spare! The curse was for the spare! He needed Harry to come back! The spare! The spare! The spare! He chanted in his head, self-hatred boiling in his gut as the knives of Cruciatus stabbed his body.

Then, the pain stopped as quickly as it started. "That was fun, wasn't it?" Voldemort grinned at the panting and shaky seventeen-year-old. "Now, my faithful ones, a moment you're going to remember for the rest of your lives! Mr. Diggory and I will duel! I will allow this pathetic piece of scum to fight me and see how he does!" Wormtail! Untie him, and pass him his wand!" he commanded.

Wormtail did as he was told. Cedric was untied and pulled violently to his feet. His wand was thrust into his hand. "Bow to death, Mr. Diggory," Voldemort sneered. "You'll be with your little friend again soon."

Cedric had no strength to argue. All the fight in him was gone. He bowed to Voldemort and they pointed their wands at each other's hearts. Voldemort then snarled, "Avada Kedavra!"

At the same time, Cedric screamed the first spell he thought of. "Stupefy!"

Then an intense burning pain pierced its way through Cedric's hand. He hollered and staggered back, but did not let go of the wand. The red light from his Stupefy spell and the green light from Voldemort's Avada Kedavra met in midair. Then a very strange thing happened. The wands started to vibrate.

"WORMTAIL! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, IDIOT FOOL!" howled Voldemort. "How pathetic can you be? You gave him Potter's wand! Diggory's hand is burning because if one attempts to cast a spell with another's wand who is not a relative of said person, a bad reaction will ensue. Now we've got Priori Incantatem! I should've known that Gryffindor brat and myself would have brother wands! You will pay dearly for this Wormtail, have no doubt!"

In the midst of Voldemort's furious rants, a beautiful song began to fill the air; it was the song of a phoenix. A feeling suddenly swept over Cedric; the phoenix song left him almost breathless. He was utterly blown away! Don't break the connection, young one; it seemed to be telling him. I know your hand hurts, but do not fear, child of light. You will heal. Do not let go.

There was something in the phoenix's song that allowed him to take the advice. He held onto the wand, even though it was very painful. He forced the golden light and the beads of Priori Incantatem to shoot towards Voldemort's wand and not the one he held.

Then, all of a sudden, a sound of screaming was echoing through the graveyard; the leftover screams Cedric had made when the Cruciatus Curse had struck him. The boy couldn't believe this was happening. He then saw a smoky hand shoot from the wand, the replacement that Voldemort said Wormtail earned after giving up his own for the rebirth.

Then the young Hufflepuff's eyes filled with tears as he saw what happened next. Coming into view was an unmistakable form. He looked ghostly, but it was him, no doubt about it. Harry, his friend, his brother, his comrade. Harry looked around at the Death Eaters and then the two fighting figures of Voldemort and Cedric.

"Listen, Cedric," he then said, his voice an eerie echo. "I can't stay long. And you need to break this connection. But you must listen to me now. As soon as I tell you to, point your wand and say, "Accio Cedric's wand!" and your wand will fly into your hand. As soon as you do so our connection will be broken, but I will linger for a moment and make sure you are all right. Then you must run to your right and get to the Portkey, which will drop you back off at Hogwarts. And please, take my body back with you. Tell Professor Dumbledore what happened. Tell Ron and Hermione I'm sorry. Tell them I love them, and that they must understand I couldn't let you die."

"Why the hell not?" Cedric was screaming again now. "Why the bloody hell not? Damn it, Harry! Why do you ALWAYS have to play the bloody hero?"

"Please, Cedric, please listen. You mean a lot to me. I couldn't let them kill you. They were going to, just because you were the so-called spare. If you'd died, I would be the one to blame. Your life is worth much more than mine. I did it for Cho; she loves you more than you'll ever know. I was jealous of you because of her at first, but I was petty and stupid. She'd be devastated without you. I did it for your parents, for your friends, for everyone who loves you. I can see you as a professional Quidditch player. I can see you getting married to Cho and settling down. I see so many hopes and dreams for your future. I couldn't let them be shattered. I care that much, Cedric. Don't grieve for me, please tell the others not to either. I'm happy now, anyway. I'm where I'm destined to be; I'm with my family now. Mum and Dad are here. It's not your time yet Cedric. Okay?"

Cedric slowly nodded, tears still falling from his eyes.

"Look, we must part now. But never fear, I will see you again someday, I know it. You must now focus on getting yourself back safely to Hogwarts, all right? When I count to three you will summon your wand. Ready? One ... two ... three!"

"Accio Cedric's wand!" Cedric shouted, the wand flying into his hand. He then ran towards Harry's body and the Triwizard Cup. "Goodbye, my friend," he heard Harry whispering. "Good luck. I'll never forget you."

"Oh Merlin, I'll miss you Harry, I-I-I promise I won't forget you, t-t-thanks for everything," Cedric sobbed as he grabbed the cup and Harry's limp hand. As quick as a flash, he arrived back on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts, collapsing to the ground with Harry's body on top of him.

Screams erupted all around him as people started running. Among the first to get to Cedric's side were Cho Chang, Professor Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, plus a toadish-looking woman, Dolores Umbridge, his Undersecretary, was also present. "Cedric! Cedric!!" Cho screamed as she ran towards him and Harry. "Merlin Harry! What happened? Are you two okay? Oh God, Cedric, what's wrong?"

"My God," Fudge breathed as he inspected the scene in front of him. "Diggory's alive, he's all right, just a burned hand that's all. But Potter, oh Merlin, Potter! Hey, Potter, wake up! Wake up! Potter!" Then his face turned white. "My God—Potter—Dumbledore—he's DEAD! He's DEAD! Potter-he's DEAD!"

"NO!" screamed Ron, while Ginny and Hermione burst into tears. The twinkle totally left Dumbledore's eyes as he came to see for himself. Everyone got closer to the two contestants. "This can't be true, it's impossible!" Ron spluttered, collapsing into Hermione's arms, Ginny and Cho also joining them as they all held each other.

"Oh dear God, I'm so s-sorry," sobbed Cedric, "It should've been me! Y-Y-You-Know-Who's back! This guy W-W-Wormtail tried to kill me and H-Harry jumped in front of me and took the curse himself! He s-s-sacrificed himself for me! But I should've died! He's gone and it's all my f-fault! He was fast becoming my friend! Now ... now he's gone! He's gone!" Cedric was clutching Harry's body as if it were a lifeline.

Dumbledore sadly walked over to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. The greatest wizard of all time was usually very controlled at handling his emotions, but now he even had tears in his eyes. "Cedric, let him go," he said softly. "I know it's hard, but you must let him go. There's nothing you can do for him now. He wouldn't want to see you like this. He'd want you to honor his sacrifice. He wanted this for you. Let go now, Cedric."

"NO!" Cedric howled, holding him even tighter. "NEVER!" He struggled against Dumbledore, who was trying to take Harry away.

This went on for awhile, but finally, Cedric's strength waned and he let go. Everything afterwards was a blur. He remembered being held in a loving embrace by Cho and his parents, and everyone around him sobbing, even people Harry didn't know, especially his fangirls. "How dare you!" Cedric found himself shouting angrily. "You didn't even know him at all! You're only crying because he was some celebrity that you now can't idolize anymore because he's gone! He was a real person, damn it! You didn't care! You didn't bloody care! You didn't care about him like I did! Shut up, all of you!"

The next thing he knew, he was being carried back into the castle in the strong arms of Albus Dumbledore, who was trying to comfort him but to no avail. After a while the boy couldn't talk anymore, so he just gave up and let himself succumb to the exhaustion that was setting in.

Dumbledore, with a heavy heart, placed the now sleeping Cedric on a conjured bed in his private rooms. His phoenix, Fawkes, healed the teen's burned hand. Dumbledore would wait until the boy was calmer to discuss what had happened. He had a pretty good idea, however, for right after the two boys had disappeared after taking the cup, Mad-Eye Moody started to change forms. He turned into none other than Bartemius Crouch, JR. He was Stupefied before he could do anything, though. Dumbledore took him to his office, and he was questioned using Veritasserum. Crouch then explained the whole tale of how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, the events at the Quidditch World Cup with the Dark Mark, and the plan to restore Voldemort to full strength. Following this, the real Moody was found in his trunk and was taken to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was helping him to recover. Crouch was immediately taken back to Azkaban.

Another heart-wrenching thing the quickly aging Headmaster had to do that night was inform Sirius Black that his beloved Godson was gone. As was to be expected, Sirius took the news extremely hard. Dumbledore seriously didn't think he could handle any more. Sirius and Cedric were so unbelievably distraught, and it was so hard to be the strong one, the one who had to comfort them. But somehow, they all made it through that unbearable night.

The story came forth from Cedric the next day. There were two things in it that did lighten the Headmaster's broken heart. One, of course, was what Harry had said during Priori Incantatem. Then, there was the fact that Voldemort was wrong when he had taunted that Harry's sacrifice was all in vain. The wise old wizard knew that wasn't true at all because this particular type of magic was very ancient, and he actually owned a book which described it in detail; one he knew Voldemort never managed to get a hold of. Even though Voldemort was able to hurt Cedric after taking his blood, there would be other things that would occur that could only happen after this kind of sacrifice. The book did not go into detail about exactly what would happen, but Dumbledore trusted it fully. Love was a much stronger emotion than hatred, and Voldemort did not understand that. So Harry's sacrifice was not in vain after all.

A week later, the mood of the school was still very somber at the Leaving Feast. Cedric had circles under his eyes and looked ill. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and so many others at the Gryffindor table looked so lost, so lonely without their leader, the one who had always shown such strength through everything.

After the meal had been eaten, Dumbledore stood up to speak.

"The end ..." he said quietly, "Of another year. There is so much I would like to say to you all tonight, but first we must honor someone, someone who should be sitting at the Gryffindor table and enjoying our feast with us. I would like everyone to stand, and raise their glasses to Harry Potter."

The entire Great Hall stood up. "Harry Potter," they all said in one voice.

"Harry," Dumbledore continued, "Was a light in our dark world. I find it almost impossible to think of Hogwarts without him. He was brave, loyal, intelligent, loving, and kind. He would do anything for anybody. When we think about Harry, we must not remember him as simply a celebrity who defeated Voldemort at one year of age. We must remember him for who he was; he was a human being who had hopes and dreams just like we all do. Unfortunately, we are facing dark times now with the return of Lord Voldemort. But we must all stick together, that is what Harry would want us to do. So please stay strong for Harry. As much as we are all grieving, we must try to remember the good times. Lord Voldemort's method of destruction will not succeed if we all believe in love and hope, and Harry has definitely helped our world. Harry's light will live on through all of us. We are strong if we are united, and Harry taught us that nothing is impossible. So let us use his strength to get through this.

Also, I would like to mention another brave young man who fought Lord Voldemort and came out alive. He is very connected to Harry, for Harry sacrificed his life for Cedric Diggory when a Death Eater cast the Killing Curse on him. Harry desperately wanted Cedric to live, and for his hopes and dreams to come true. So he followed his heart, and Cedric is still among us now. Would everyone please raise their glasses to Cedric Diggory." Everyone raised their glasses once again and repeated Cedric's name.

"Remember Harry," Dumbledore said. "Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember a boy who possessed so much love within his heart that he gave his life for another to live. And we must all show him that his sacrifice was not in vain. Remember Harry Potter."

In the houses' common rooms that night, many people, including Cedric, Cho, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, thought about Dumbledore's speech. It was true; Harry would not want them to grieve for him. Dumbledore was right. They must now start their journey of healing, and continue on with their lives. Harry had died a hero, and there was no way in the world that anyone, no matter how young or old, would allow Harry's sacrifice to be in vain. Especially not Cedric. He would do as Harry said, and honor his sacrifice. He would no longer hate himself for surviving, but work even harder to live each day to its fullest.

The world would never forget Harry Potter.

Finis


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